Founded in 1949 in the heart of San Diego, USD has grown to become a premier institution dedicated to providing academic excellence, Catholic intellectual and social traditions, and a top-notch liberal arts education for scholars of all faiths. USD is committed to the intellectual, spiritual, and overall development of its student body.

USD’s mission captures the values that have made it a prominent Catholic university, a vibrant institution of quality higher education, and an Ashoka U Changemaker Campus.

A USD education combines the vibrancy of the liberal arts with academic rigor in a supportive learning community. USD offers a wide variety of majors and specializations, allowing students to pursue their passions. Faculty members are distinguished scholars and devoted teachers who promote an interactive learning environment.

Faculty collaborate one-on-one with undergraduate and graduate students on research, scholarship and creative activity, allowing students to experience the excitement of original discovery.

USD’s emphasis on academic excellence, intellectual rigor and global citizenship showcases our commitment to each student. USD offers the intellectual environment that will inspire you to begin shaping your future. By becoming a Torero, you are becoming part of the more than 60-year-long history of dedicated Changemakers.

Our students strive for academic excellence and take great pride in serving their communities. At USD, students learn to think critically, act globally and work collaboratively to achieve their full potential.

USD offers students endless opportunities to connect with the campus, the community, and each other. With nearly 200 clubs and organizations, countless sports and residence hall activities, guest lectures, community service opportunities and wellness programs, Toreros have every resource necessary to maximize their USD experience.

USD has an active, thriving campus community. In addition to its sublime setting — enhanced by an average 300 days of sunshine each year — USD offers students an abundance of academic programs, facilities and resources.

Even to the casual eye, it's apparent that the campus runs like a well-oiled machine, in large part due to our hard working team members, all dedicated to making sure that the USD student experience is reflective of the distinctive quality that the university is known for.

More than 1500 full-time and 750 part-time employees worked at USD in 2011, in capacities ranging from faculty to food service to administration to groundskeeper.

The USD community is comprised of many diverse individuals. To assist with the various aspects of personal and professional development, the university provides various offices, programs and services. Gateways provides links to some of the areas that might be of interest to you.

From the moment you step on our beautiful campus you can see that USD is exceptional.

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Virtues for Global Flourishing

Social, political, economic and cultural commentators are arguing that human history is reaching a decisive stage in its development - a stage marked by increased interconnection between individuals, the compression of space and time, a sharing of ideas at unprecedented levels, global trade and finance, and so on. The shorthand word used to encompass these phenomena is “globalization”. Some embrace it, others reject it and still others dispute its existence. From its inception in the missionary mandate of Jesus (Matthew 28), Christianity is not a spectator to globalization but one of its agents. It is one of the forces at work which have extended interconnection between peoples, shared ideas and promoted social, political, and cultural links.

Professor Neil Ormerod addresses the religious response to the impact of globalization on vital, social, cultural, personal, and religious values. In particular, this lecture will explore the notion of ‘virtue’ in a globalizing world and ask whether religion can be understood as a virtue before exploring emergent global virtues which pose a challenge to all faiths.

Professor Ormerod began his career as a mathematician and holds a PhD in Pure Mathematics from the University of New South Wales and a Doctorate in Theology from the Melbourne College of Divinity. His recent books include Globalization and the Mission of the Church and Trinity: Retrieving the Western Tradition.